Data center transformation systems and methods

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for gamification of data center transformation. In one embodiment, a processor-implemented method is disclosed, comprising: dynamically generating in real-time, via a hardware processor, a multi-player gaming environment including a plurality of graphical elements; wherein at least one constraint applying to one of the graphical elements reflects a constraint applying to a real-world data center; wherein a configuration of at least one of the graphical elements reflects a configuration parameter of the real-world data center; providing, via the hardware processor, the gaming environment to a plurality of users; modifying, via the hardware processor, the configuration of the at least one of the graphical elements based on game play of the plurality of users; and providing, via the hardware processor, an output indicating a modified configuration of the at least one of the graphical elements for modifying the configuration parameter of the real-world data center.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to data center transformation, andmore particularly to systems and methods for gamification of data centertransformation.

BACKGROUND

A data center comprises of software and hardware which are sourced andintegrated together as a system. Data center transformation representsthe process of changing or upgrading a data center to improve itsoverall functionality and performance. Data center transformation ofteninvolves extensive changes that may affect many aspects of data centeruse, including hardware setups, user accesses, software applications,and business processes. Large scale data center transformation can bevery complex as the resultant large scale changes are expected to beundertaken with minimal disruption to operations, processes, andservices. Currently, in data center transformation projects, everychange involved in the transformation has to be assessed for the impactit creates on the existing environment and the potential benefit, whichmay require managing the impact by moderating the scope and complexityof the change.

The inventors here have recognized several technical problems with suchconventional systems, as explained below. Due to the technicalcomplexity of data center transformation, identifying the problemdefinition and technical constraints, and communicating it in real-timeto a large number of personnel is technically challenging. Further,coordinating the technical analysis and contributions of a large numberof technicians in the data center transformation is another technicalchallenge.

Further, transformation initiatives often fail because of failure toreach agreement on an acceptable balance between the impact and benefit,delay caused by dependency on third parties, or some personnel not beingable to comprehend the technicalities or to keep pace with newdevelopments, etc. Furthermore, in cases where transformation projectsare complex in nature, there may often be an increase in the number ofpeople and factors involved, an increase in the moderation requiredbetween different stakeholders to reach agreement on the desire scope oftransformation, and an increase in the amount of time consumed beforecompleting the eventual transformation roadmap.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure present technological improvementsas solutions to one or more of the above-mentioned technical problemsrecognized by the inventors in conventional systems. For example, in oneembodiment, a data center transformation system is disclosed,comprising: a hardware processor; and a memory unit storing instructionsthat, when executed by the hardware processor, cause the hardwareprocessor to perform acts comprising: dynamically generating inreal-time a multi-player gaming environment including a plurality ofgraphical elements; wherein at least one constraint applying to one ofthe graphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment reflects aconstraint applying to a real-world data center; wherein a configurationof at least one of the graphical elements in the multi-player gamingenvironment reflects a configuration parameter of the real-world datacenter; providing the real-time dynamically-generated gaming environmentto a plurality of users; modifying the configuration of the at least oneof the graphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment basedon game play of the plurality of users; and providing an outputindicating a modified configuration of the at least one of the graphicalelements in the multi-player gaming environment for modifying theconfiguration parameter of the real-world data center. The memory unitmay further store instructions that, when executed by the hardwareprocessor, cause the hardware processor to perform acts comprisingmodifying automatically the configuration parameter of the real-worlddata center based on the output indicating the modified configuration ofthe at least one of the graphical elements in the multi-player gamingenvironment.

In another embodiment, a processor-implemented data centertransformation method is disclosed, comprising: dynamically generatingin real-time, via a hardware processor, a multi-player gamingenvironment including a plurality of graphical elements; wherein atleast one constraint applying to one of the graphical elements in themulti-player gaming environment reflects a constraint applying to areal-world data center; wherein a configuration of at least one of thegraphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment reflects aconfiguration parameter of the real-world data center; providing, viathe hardware processor, the real-time dynamically-generated gamingenvironment to a plurality of users; modifying, via the hardwareprocessor, the configuration of the at least one of the graphicalelements in the multi-player gaming environment based on game play ofthe plurality of users; and providing, via the hardware processor, anoutput indicating a modified configuration of the at least one of thegraphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment for modifyingthe configuration parameter of the real-world data center. The methodmay further include modifying automatically, via the hardware processor,the configuration parameter of the real-world data center based on theoutput indicating the modified configuration of the at least one of thegraphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment.

In yet another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable mediumstoring processor-executable data center transformation instructions isdisclosed, the instructions comprising instructions for: dynamicallygenerating in real-time, via a hardware processor, a multi-player gamingenvironment including a plurality of graphical elements; wherein atleast one constraint applying to one of the graphical elements in themulti-player gaming environment reflects a constraint applying to areal-world data center; wherein a configuration of at least one of thegraphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment reflects aconfiguration parameter of the real-world data center; providing, viathe hardware processor, the real-time dynamically-generated gamingenvironment to a plurality of users; modifying, via the hardwareprocessor, the configuration of the at least one of the graphicalelements in the multi-player gaming environment based on game play ofthe plurality of users; and providing, via the hardware processor, anoutput indicating a modified configuration of the at least one of thegraphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment for modifyingthe configuration parameter of the real-world data center. The mediummay further store instructions for modifying automatically, via thehardware processor, the configuration parameter of the real-world datacenter based on the output indicating the modified configuration of theat least one of the graphical elements in the multi-player gamingenvironment.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, togetherwith the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary procedure for gamification of datacenter transformation in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 2A-B illustrate exemplary systems for gamification of data centertransformation according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 3A-C illustrate an exemplary method for gamification of datacenter transformation in accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 4A-C illustrate an exemplary method for data center transformationin accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary method for gaming user rewardsdistribution in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary method for gaming user ranking inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a table showing exemplary data center transformationgaming design considerations in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a screenshot illustrating a data center transformation gamingenvironment 800 in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system forimplementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears.Wherever convenient, the same reference numbers are used throughout thedrawings to refer to the same or like parts. While examples and featuresof disclosed principles are described herein, modifications,adaptations, and other implementations are possible without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. It is intendedthat the following detailed description be considered as exemplary only,with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Embodiments of the present disclosure solve one or more of the technicalproblems mentioned above by converting the problem of determining thedata center transformation roadmap to a simulated computer game system,a process referred to as “gamification.” Gamification may be consideredan evolving technique by which game mechanics are applied to non-gamingapplications in order to increase user engagement, motivation, andparticipation. This approach may be used here in the enterprise domain,since enterprise information systems (EIS) focus mainly on efficiencyaspects rather than individual long-term motivation and enjoyment.

In one embodiment, the system ay create a computer game that isrepresentational of the real-world data center scenario in an altogetheralternative world. The system may use a competitive multiplayer gamingconcept to motivate gameplay with rewards and rankings. Stakeholdersencouraged to play this competitive simulated game may strive to solvevarious puzzles in the game context, which eventually may become therequired optimal roadmap of the future data center environment. Thesystem may have various interfaces to pull real-time enterprise specificattributes concerned with the real services and convert this into anequivalent game representation.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary procedure 100 for gamification of datacenter transformation in accordance with some embodiments. At step 102,a system, such as systems 200 and/or 250, may determine theconfiguration of a real-world data center. For example, the system maydetermine information such as a number of computing systems, theirinterconnection, the performance capabilities of each computing system,the load history experienced by each computing system, and likeinformation. At step 104, the system may engage in game creation basedon the real-world data center configuration. For example, the systemmay, in real-time as the configuration of the real-world data centerchanges, update a virtual gaming environment to parallel theconfiguration of the real-world data center. For example, graphical userinterface (GUI) elements within the gaming environment may correspond toelements of the real-world data center, and the configuration of the GUIelements may be based in real-time on the configuration of the elementsof the real-world data center. At step 106, the system may generate thegaming environment, e.g., a multi-user online game, to user terminalsfor user to engage in game play. At step 108, the system may accept gameplay input and other input from the user terminals. At step 110, thesystem may modify the configuration of GUI elements based on the userinput, and, at step 112, the system may transform the configuration ofthe real-world data center based on the changes to the GUI elements, andthe user input into the gaming environment.

FIGS. 2A-B illustrate exemplary systems 200 and 250 for gamification ofdata center transformation according to some embodiments. With referenceto FIG. 2A, in some embodiments, the method 100 of FIG. 1 may beimplemented using a system 200. System 200 may include a real-world datacenter 201, which ultimately would be converted into a modifiedreal-world data center configuration 202 after transformation bygamification, as explained below. System 200 may include agamification/transformation server 203, which may obtain theconfiguration of real-world data center 201. Based on the configuration,gamification/transformation server 203 may populate a problem ontologydatabase 204 with a problem definition to be solved through game play.Gamification/transformation server 203 may generate a real-time onlinemulti-player gaming environment based on the problem ontology and theconfiguration of the real-world data center 203. A gameplay server 205may implement the generated real-time gaming environment, and maydistribute the gaming environment to a plurality of user devices 206.Based on game play from the user devices 206, the gameplay server 205may generate gaming records, which may be stored in gaming recorddatabase 207. Gamification/transformation server 203 may use the gamingrecord to determine modifications to implement to the configuration ofthe real-world data center 201, and thus may transform the configurationof the real-world data center 201 to yield transformed real-world datacenter 202.

With reference to FIG. 2B, a high-level design of a system 250 forgamification for datacenter transformation with its building blocks andinteractions is shown. The building blocks together may provide thefunctionality to create a representation of a real world data centerscenario in an alternate domain representation fit for a motivationalgame play. For example, in some embodiments, system 250 may include aDefinition Engine 280. The main logic of the system 250 including theGame Play logic may be retained here. The Definition Engine 280 mayinclude a Template Definition System 281, a Player & Role ModelingSystem 282, and Communication Server 283. In some embodiments, thesystem 250 may include Template Definition System 281. TemplateDefinition System 281 may store information about various softwarecomponents of the real-time gaming environment. For example, theinformation maintained may include Platform Class definitions, PlatformObject Attributes, Domain Ontology and Relationship mappings, PlatformApplied Formulas. Instance Problem attributes. Instance objectattributes. Instance Relationship mappings, and Instance arena details.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Player & Role ModelingSystem 282. Player & Role Modeling System 282 may store information ofUser, Roles and organization details such as Session User attributes,User relationship, User Weightage, and User Reputation.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Communication server 283.Communication server 283 may serve as an external interface to e-mailsystems. For example, e-mail may be used for notification to user,groups, subscribers or broadcasts.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Game Board 274. Game Board274 may maintain a session environment in concert with Storage Engine265. For example, Game Board 274 may help maintain details such assession player game runtime attributes, session player score attributes,session player user interface representation, and session save andrestore play attributes.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include an Information ValidationEngine 273. Information Validation Engine 273 may validate user dataduring a Play session. This engine may interface to the Librarian System272, and may use the information there to validate user game play input.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Librarian System 272.Librarian System 272 may store runtime data derived from the knowledgeand used during the Play session. The Librarian System 272 may be alsoresponsible for storing various statistics and historical information,including Name of country, System models, Manufacturers, Software names,Protocols, Compliances, and a Session log.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Reporting Engine 271.Reporting Engine 271 may be used for data extracting and presentation oninformation in the Storage Engine 265. All structured and unstructuredinformation in the Storage Engine 265, Knowledge Engine 277, and gameruntime information from Game Board 274 may be available from ReportingEngine 271. Available output formats for reports may include HTML, XML,PDF, etc.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include an Evaluation Engine 275. Areasoning engine is maintained within Evaluation Engine 275. Thereasoning engine may use problem ontology 270 and domain ontology tovalidate gaming scenarios as a user assembles and tests new scenarios inthe real-time gaming environment.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Simulation Engine 276,Simulation Engine 276 may be used when a user assembles a new model andwants it validated for all consistency before submitting as part of gameplay. This may be done by calculating all key constraints on the totalproblem hierarchy in the instance.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Knowledge Engine 277.Knowledge Engine 277 may contain binding relationships for the Domainand Problem ontology 270.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a NLP Engine 279 for naturallanguage processing. NLP Engine 279 may include a natural languageinterface that can be used by user to interface with the SimulationEngine 276. For example, the NLP Engine 279 may do the following torespond back to a user: Interpret a query and convert it to a SPARQLquery; submit the SPARQL query to Simulation Engine 276; get RDFresults; and display results using a predefined output format.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Problem Ontology 270,which may be implemented as a relational database. The relevant problem,its taxonomy and the relation to domain attributers may be captured inthe Problem Ontology 270. This ontology may be used to qualify a problemposted, and the choice and validation of solution.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Storage Engine 265.Storage Engine 265 may persist all the information associated with thePlatform of system 250. Information maintained in the Storage Engine 265may include: user attributes, gaming attributes, file configurations,game logs, security logs, problem histories, domain object andattributes, problem object and attributes, classes, constraints,external attributes, and user conversations.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Budgeting Engine 260,which may maintain the financial aspects of the system 250. In someembodiments, system 250 may include a Financial Engine 261, which mayassist in converting user rewards to local currencies. Based onconfigurable parameters, a Reward can be claimed by a user as cash.These transactions may be handled by this subsystem. This Engine mayintegrate with external ERP like SAP using WebService APIs.

In some embodiments, system 250 may include a Scoring Engine 262, whichmay administer scores, gained rewards, relinquishing points, pointsaggregation, etc. In some embodiments, system 250 may include aRemuneration Engine 263. The accounting of rewards may be handled inthis engine. It may provide all the basic functionality of an accountingsystem including book keeping using basic credit, debit principles,while using rewards as the base units.

FIGS. 3A-C illustrate an exemplary method 300 for gamification of datacenter transformation in accordance with some embodiments. In someembodiments, method 300 may include system operations in at least threedifferent modes, called pre-login 301, game coining 302, and game play303 modes. In a pre-login mode 301, a precondition for a player to enterplay in an Instance may be a successful login with bonafide credentials.A minimalistic part of the game in the form of a portal/web pages may bepresented until the user completes the login formality. Generalinformation about the game, rules, news posts, challenges, blogs,leaderboard, game instances available etc. may be presented in thismode. Activities in this mode may include: presenting a login windowsbased on the organization instance of the game; user authenticationusing LDAP; obtaining user attributes, such as designation, location,group, supervisor (assuming the user is an employee or other agentwithin an organization). A bonafide user may be allowed to enter theplay with his or her permitted role in the game, and operate in theother two modes.

In a game coining mode 302, following successful authentication, theplayer may have the option to enter a user role where she can startbuilding and administering the game. The user may be provided thefollowing facilities: creating and administering the gaming platform;defining a gaming template; design a GUI representation; configuringgaming rules; creating, modifying, or purging instances of a gamingapplication; importing data from external sources (e.g., Excel, CMDB,etc.); determine relationships between players and GUI elements; settinggaming goals, timers, and rewards; sending invitations to users to joinas players; and starting or resuming gaming sessions with a differentrole.

In a game play mode 303, following a successful authentication, theplayer may have the option to enter a user role where she can start theplay session. The player/user will have the following facilities asexplained below. For example, a bonafide user may be allowed to enterthe play with his or her permitted role in the game. The user will beable to navigate in the platform and learn and absorb the environment,understand the goals sought, and prioritize the area he/she wants tocontribute. A user can enter session and earn rewards by solving aproblem in the instance and earn the rewards assigned to the problem bythe creator. A user in this mode may resume a saved session and continuewhere it was left off. The user can also explore the set of postedproblems and decide to start a new session. In this mode, the user maybe encouraged to engage closely in this phase because of the motivationto earn rewards and get recognized on the leaderboard. Optionally, anorganization can decide to provide cash rewards equivalent to therewards held by a user. The platform may provide the reward managementand reporting for this purpose.

In some embodiments, in a play session, the user may focus on a problemand may have to use her expertise to create an alternative scenario onthe user interface that is addressing the problem and under thecriterion laid down. The user may have to carefully work on the scenariobecause every action of hers may have logical constraints which mayhandicap her to undertake unlimited actions. The constraints may beinherent knowledge in the platform which is based on real lifeconstraints concerning the real-world data center. In some embodiments,if the user is struck with a problem, she can post a smaller problem inthe instance with its own reward points. Further, the system may alsohave lookup engine which can fetch and lookup publicly availabledata/knowledge on internet and present to the user on demand to resolvethe problem. In some embodiments, users may be able to team up to tacklecomplex problems and share the rewards. Some users can have specialweightage and can provide input and answers to problems that canoverride an existing gaming constraint. When all the outstandingproblems in an instance are finally solved and accepted by theproblem-poster, the rewards may be settled and its distributioncommitted to all the users accounts.

In some embodiments where players are scored and/or ranked, a weightageof player may be determined by algorithmically evolved reputation,organization hierarchy etc. The user's performance in the gamingenvironment may be shown on leaderboard and dashboards to encouragecompetition. A platform moderator team may monitor progress of the gameto avoid conflicts which may cause delay or preventing of a solutionbeing reached to the gaming problem.

In some embodiments, the platform may also contain a question/conflictresolution board where subject matter experts can express their viewsregarding a problem, and can help in progress of the game to come upwith productive and implementable ideas. Further, the system may containa library of mashable patterns to use as ideas across teams/users. Thesystem may also provide a simulation engine to simulate the outcome of aproposed course of action within the gaming environment. The system mayalso provide an option to perform an instance-level simulation usingalgorithmic reasoning to check for possible solutions to a sub-problem.In some embodiments, the system can also be made to undertake simulationusing multiple permutations and combinations, and determine problems inthe gaming environment.

With reference to FIG. 3A, at step 310, in a pre-login mode 301, system200 and/or 250, may load a gaming environment generated for determiningtransformations to implement to a real-world data center. At step 312, auser may attempt to log in to the game. If the login is a success, atstep 314, in a game coining mode 302, the user may be presented with achoice within the game to either play a game under a set of pre-existingboundary constraints, or to submit a problem to other players forresolution within the gaming environment. If the user chooses to submita problem, at step 316, the system may accept a user submission of theproblem, and, at step 318, validate the problem, and generate a gamingenvironment update to include the new problem in the gaming environmentfor resolution through game play. If the user chooses to play the gameat step 314, the system may enter a game play mode 303. In game playmode 303, at step 320, the user may be able to select a gaming role,such as builder, hunter, archer, deer, etc., depending on the gamingprofiles offered within the gaming environment. At step 322, the usermay enter into game play within the generated gaming environment, and,at step 324, may select a problem to address in the game play. Forexample, this selection can manifest in the form of the user selecting aracing track, a gaming stage, a mission assignment, etc. The user maythen play the game based on the selected problem. At step 326, if theuser reaches a satisfactory solution to the game (e.g., reaching an endof the gaming stage successfully), the system may proceed to stepsdepicted in FIG. 3B; otherwise, the system may proceed to steps depictedin FIG. 3C.

With reference to FIG. 3B, in some embodiments, the user may havereached a satisfactory solution to the game (e.g., reaching an end ofthe gaming stage successfully). In such scenarios, at step 328, thesystem may check a knowledge base to determine the solution reached is avalid solution. At step 330, the system may perform any calculations tovalidate the result reached by the user, and if required, at step 332,perform simulations to validate the result achieved by the user. At step334, if the user solution to the gaming stage needs for validation, thesystem may post the solution online for review by other players toobtain their input in the validation process, and, at step 336, mayperform a final approval or validation of the solution. At step 338, ifthe solution has been validated, the user may claim a reward within thegaming environment by points or credits (which, in some embodiments, canbe translated into an award in real monetary terms based on a financialengine of the system). If the solution has not been validated, at step340, the user may be notified that the solution the user reached duringgame play is not valid, and the system may proceed to processingaccording to FIG. 3C.

With reference to FIG. 3C, in some embodiments, the user may have failedto reach a satisfactory solution to the game (e.g., reaching an end ofthe gaming stage successfully). In such scenarios, at step 344, thesystem may, entering a game coining mode 302 again, allow the user topost a problem sub-set. For example, the problem sub-set may be suchthat the user may be able to solve the problem in his or her assignedgame if another user can solve the problem defined by the problemsub-set. If the user posts a problem sub-set, at step 346, the systemmay generate a gaming environment update, and may post the problemsubset and associated reward as a challenge to other users of thesystem. At step 348, the system may check if additional problem sub-setsremain to be solved in a valid manner, and may allow the user to postadditional problem sub-sets for potential resolution by other usersthrough game play.

FIGS. 4A-C illustrate an exemplary method 400 for data centertransformation in accordance with some embodiments. With reference toFIG. 4A, at step 410, a system, such as system 200 and/or 250, mayimport data on a real-world data center transformation project. Thesystem may select a game GUI template at step 412, and at step 414, maydefine a GUI element representation, as explained further below in thisdisclosure. At step 416, the system may add the GUI elements to a gamingtemplate, and, at step 418, may define the relationships between thevarious GUI elements. For example, various joint constraints on theposition, movement, and behavior may be imposed on various (andpotentially overlapping) combinations of GUI elements. At step 420, thesystem may assign rules of interaction between the gaming elements, suchas the gaming environments, game stages, GUI elements, and user players.At step 422, the system may evaluate the gaming instance for compliancewith rules governing the real-world data center and the gamingenvironment.

With reference to FIG. 4B, at step 424, if the gaming instance does notpass the evaluation, at step 426, the system may display an errormessage, and at step 428, the system may reset the GUI elements beforejumping back to step 414 in the procedure. If the gaming instance passesthe evaluation, at step 430, the system may import further data on thereal-world data center transformation objectives. Accordingly, at step432, the system may set game objectives, and at step 434 may set a timerto achieve the game objectives. At step 436, the system may initiate thegaming simulations, and at step 438 distribute the game (e.g., online)to multiple users with invitations for the users to become players inthe gaming environment. Based on the users' gameplay, at step 440, thesystem may update the gaming record in real time.

With reference to FIG. 4C, in some embodiments,at step 442, the systemmay extract gaming record information from the gaming records stored ina database, and at step 444, identify game problems corresponding toreal-world data center transformation objectives. At step 446, thesystem may select the most effective game problem solutions (e.g., basedon highest points, fastest time, most laps, etc.), and, at step 448,determine what (if any) modification need to be performed to theconfiguration of the real-world data center so that its configurationparallels the configuration of the GUI and other gaming elements of thegame in the gaming environment corresponding to the most effective gameproblem solutions. At step 450, the system may implement the determinedmodifications to be performed to the configuration of the real-worlddata center.

Thus, in some embodiments, the real-world data center may be improved intechnological terms by the game play of the multiple users in thereal-time gaming environment. For example, the game play may providesolutions to optimize for the real-world data center technicalparameters such as energy efficiency, computational efficiency,computation time, computational load balance across computing systems,data security risks, as well as other parameters such as compliance withlocal and international laws, etc. Thus, embodiments of the presentdisclosure result in technological improvements, on a real-time basis,to the performance characteristics of the real-world data center basedon real-time game play within an environment simulated to parallel thereal-world data center configuration.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary method 500 for gaming user rewardsdistribution in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments,system 200 and/or 250, at step 510, may extract user gaming history fromgaming record storage. At step 520, the system may calculate a totalrewards claimed by the user and/or posted by the user. At step 530, thesystem may convert the rewards (e.g., points) to other measurement units(e.g., airline miles, sovereign currency, etc.) based on pre-determinedrules (e.g., fixed exchange rates or exchange rate look-up tables). Atstep 540, the system may distribute the reward to the user in theconverted measurement unit (e.g., by transferring money into the user'saccount commensurate with the user's rewards in the gaming environment).At step 550, the system may update the user's record within the systemsafter distributing the user reward (e.g., after the user redeems thereward).

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary method 600 for gaming user ranking inaccordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, system 200 and/or250, at step 610, may extract user gaming history from gaming recordstorage. At step 620, the system may calculate a user scoring based onfactors such as award wining record, game play time, game creationrecord etc. At step 630, the system may generate a user ranking based onthe score, and at step 640, the system may distribute the user ranking(e.g., via a social media post, on a leaderboard within the systemplatform, etc.)

FIG. 7 illustrates a table 700 showing exemplary data centertransformation gaming design considerations in accordance with someembodiments. In table 700, a column 710 may indicate designconsiderations for a virtual gaming environment, whereas a column 720may indicate design considerations for a real-world data center. Forexample, the information in each row in a column 710 may correspond tothe information in the same row of column 720. Thus, for example, wherethe problem to be solved in terms of configuration of the real-worlddata center is virtual machine migration (see 721), the correspondingproblem to be solved in the virtual gaming environment may be a deerplucking fruits off a tree (see 711). In the real-world data centercontext, an objective may be to move the virtual machine to the cloud(see 722). Corresponding to this objective, a game goal 712 may be for adeer GUI element to reach and pluck fruit (see 712). In the real worlddata center context, several elements or factors 723 may defineboundaries within which the virtual machine migration can occur.Correspondingly, in the virtual gaming context, game elements 713 maydefine boundaries within which the deer must pluck the fruit. In thereal-world data center context, several transformation parameters 724may be defined, such as virtual machine movement parameters,configuration of cloud parameters, configuration of parameters for thevirtual machine, compliance rules, and resource allocation constraints.In the virtual gaming context, these parameters may be translated intoparameters governing the position, movement, and behavior of GUIelements, such as distance from deer to the fruits, size and attributesof the deer, size and attributes of the fruit, constraints on how thedeer can jump, etc. Further,in the real-world data center context, datacenter transformation constraints 725 may be included in terms ofresources available and transformations that are disallowed.Correspondingly, the virtual gaming environment may be subject toconstraints 714 such as game rules on how many times the deer can jumpand what damage a deer can cause to other GUI elements.

FIG. 8 is a screenshot illustrating a data center transformation gamingenvironment 800 in accordance with some embodiments. In the gamingenvironment 800, a player (see 810) may login (see 814) with a user ID(see 812), and may earn rewards (see 811) based on the time (see 813) oreffort (see 815) the user has put into game play, and outcomes theplayer has achieved in game play (see 816). The gaming environment mayinclude a GUI element 817 representing the player, and various GUIelements representing parallels to configuration parameters of areal-world data center. For example, cannon 818, trajectory 819,cannonball 820, and cloud 822 may parallel constraints related to thereal-world data center. Also, a play outcome 821 may correspond towhether the solution proffered by the user (e.g., defined by choice ofplayer position, cannon 823, cannonball, angle of firing, force offiring, aim, etc.) would be an optimal choice for reconfiguring thereal-world data center.

Computer System

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system forimplementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.Variations of computer system 901 may be used for implementing thedevices and systems disclosed herein. Computer system 901 may comprise acentral processing unit (“CPU” or “processor”) 902. Processor 902 maycomprise at least one data processor for executing program componentsfor executing user- or system-generated requests. A user may include aperson, a person using a device such as those included in thisdisclosure, or such a device itself. The processor may includespecialized processing units such as integrated system (bus)controllers, memory management control units, floating point units,graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc. Theprocessor may include a microprocessor, such as AMD Athlon, Duron orOpteron, ARM's application, embedded or secure processors, IBM PowerPC.Intel's Core, Itanium, Xeon, Celeron or other line of processors, etc.The processor 902 may be implemented using mainframe, distributedprocessor, multi-core, parallel, grid, or other architectures. Someembodiments may utilize embedded technologies like application-specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), etc.

Processor 902 may be disposed in communication with one or moreinput/output (I/O) devices via I/O interface 903. The I/O interface 903may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation,audio, analog, digital, monoaural, RCA, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus,universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component,composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimediainterface (HDMI), RF antennas, S-Video, VGA, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/x,Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code-division multiple access (CDMA),high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobilecommunications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like),etc.

Using the I/O interface 903, the computer system 901 may communicatewith one or more I/O devices. For example, the input device 904 may bean antenna, keyboard, mouse, joystick, (infrared) remote control,camera, card reader, fax machine, dangle, biometric reader, microphone,touch screen, touchpad, trackball, sensor (e.g., accelerometer, lightsensor, GPS, gyroscope, proximity sensor, or the like), stylus, scanner,storage device, transceiver, video device/source, visors, etc. Outputdevice 905 may be a printer, fax machine, video display (e.g., cathoderay tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode(LED), plasma, or the like), audio speaker, etc. In some embodiments, atransceiver 906 may be disposed in connection with the processor 902.The transceiver may facilitate various types of wireless transmission orreception. For example, the transceiver may include an antennaoperatively connected to a transceiver chip (e.g., Texas InstrumentsWiLink WL1283, Broadcom BCM4750IUB8. Infineon Technologies X-Gold618-PMB9800, or the like), providing IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, FM,global positioning system (GPS), 2G/3G HSDPA/HSUPA communications, etc.

In some embodiments, the processor 902 may be disposed in communicationwith a communication network 908 via a network interface 907. Thenetwork interface 907 may communicate with the communication network908. The network interface may employ connection protocols including,without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair10/100/1000 Base 1), transmission control protocol/internet protocol(TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc. The communicationnetwork 908 may include, without limitation, a direct interconnection,local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network(e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, etc. Usingthe network interface 907 and the communication network 908, thecomputer system 901 may communicate with devices 910, 911, and 912.These devices may include, without limitation, personal computer(s),server(s), fax machines, printers, scanners, various mobile devices suchas cellular telephones, smartphones (e.g., Apple iPhone, Blackberry,Android-based phones, etc.), tablet computers, eBook readers (AmazonKindle, Nook, etc.), laptop computers, notebooks, gaming consoles(Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation, etc.), or the like. Insome embodiments, the computer system 901 may itself embody one or moreof these devices.

In some embodiments, the processor 902 may be disposed in communicationwith one or more memory devices (e.g., RAM 913, ROM 914, etc.) via astorage interface 912. The storage interface may connect to memorydevices including, without limitation, memory drives, removable discdrives, etc., employing connection protocols such as serial advancedtechnology attachment (SATA), integrated drive electronics (IDE),IEEE-1394, universal serial bus (USB), fiber channel, small computersystems interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include adrum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive,redundant array of independent discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices,solid-state drives, etc. Variations of memory devices may be used forimplementing, for example, the databases disclosed herein.

The memory devices may store a collection of program or databasecomponents, including, without limitation, an operating system 916, userinterface application 917, web browser 918, mail server 919, mail client920, user/application data 921 (e.g., any data variables or data recordsdiscussed in this disclosure), etc. The operating system 916 mayfacilitate resource management and operation of the computer system 901.Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, AppleMacintosh OS X, Unix, Unix-like system distributions (e,g., BerkeleySoftware Distribution (BSD), FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, etc.), Linuxdistributions (e.g., Red Hat, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, etc.), IBM OS/2,Microsoft Windows (XP, Vista/7/8, etc.), Apple iOS, Google Android,Blackberry OS, or the like. User interface 917 may facilitate display,execution, interaction, manipulation, or operation of program componentsthrough textual or graphical facilities. For example, user interfacesmay provide computer interaction interface elements on a display systemoperatively connected to the computer system 901, such as cursors,icons, check boxes, menus, strollers, windows, widgets, etc. Graphicaluser interfaces (GUIs) may be employed, including, without limitation,Apple Macintosh operating systems' Aqua, IBM OS/2, Microsoft Windows(e.g., Aero, Metro, etc.), Unix X-Windows, web interface libraries(e.g., ActiveX, Java, Javascript, AJAX, HTML, Adobe Flash, etc.), or thelike.

In some embodiments, the computer system 901 may implement a web browser918 stored program component. The web browser may be a hypertext viewingapplication, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, MozillaFirefox, Apple Safari, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided usingHTTPS (secure hypertext transport protocol), secure sockets layer (SSL),Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browsers may utilize facilitiessuch as AJAX, DHTML, Adobe Flash, JavaScript, Java, applicationprogramming interfaces (APIs), etc. In some embodiments, the computersystem 901 may implement a mail server 919 stored program component. Themail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange,or the like. The mail server may utilize facilities such as ASP,ActiveX, ANSI C++/C#, Microsoft .NET, CGI scripts, Java, JavaScript,PERL, PHP, Python, WebObjects, etc. The mail server may utilizecommunication protocols such as internet message access protocol (IMAP),messaging application programming interface (MAPI), Microsoft Exchange,post office protocol (POP), simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), or thelike. In some embodiments, the computer system 901 may implement a mailclient 920 stored program component. The mail client may be a mailviewing application, such as Apple Mail, Microsoft Entourage, MicrosoftOutlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, etc.

In some embodiments, computer system 901 may store user/application data921, such as the data, variables, records, etc. as described in thisdisclosure. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant,relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle or Sybase.Alternatively, such databases may be implemented using standardized datastructures, such as an array, hash, linked list, struct, structured textfile (e.g., XML), table, or as object-oriented databases (e.g., usingObjectStore, Poet, Zope, etc.). Such databases may be consolidated ordistributed, sometimes among the various computer systems discussedabove in this disclosure. It is to be understood that the structure andoperation of any computer or database component may be combined,consolidated, or distributed in any working combination.

The specification has described systems and methods for gamification ofdata center transformation. The illustrated steps are set out to explainthe exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated thatongoing technological development will change the manner in whichparticular functions are performed. These examples are presented hereinfor purposes of illustration, and not limitation. Further, theboundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarilydefined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternativeboundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions andrelationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives(including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., ofthose described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in therelevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Suchalternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosedembodiments. Also, the words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,” and“including,” and other similar forms are intended to be equivalent inmeaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one ofthese words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item oritems, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It mustalso be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “an,” and “the” include plural references unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise.

Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilizedin implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Acomputer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memoryon which information or data readable by a processor may be stored.Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions forexecution by one or more processors, including instructions for causingthe processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with theembodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” shouldbe understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves andtransient signals, i.e., be non-transitory. Examples include randomaccess memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), volatile memory,nonvolatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, andany other known physical storage media.

It is intended that the disclosure and examples be considered asexemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of disclosed embodimentsbeing indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A data center transformation system, comprising:a hardware processor; and a memory unit storing instructions that, whenexecuted by the hardware processor, cause the hardware processor toperform acts comprising: dynamically generating in real-time amulti-player gaming environment including a plurality of graphicalelements; wherein at least one constraint applying to one of thegraphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment reflects aconstraint applying to a real-world data center; wherein a configurationof at least one of the graphical elements in the multi-player gamingenvironment reflects a configuration parameter of the real-world datacenter; providing the real-time dynamically-generated gaming environmentto a plurality of users; modifying the configuration of the at least oneof the graphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment basedon game play of the plurality of users; and providing an outputindicating a modified configuration of the at least one of the graphicalelements in the multi-player gaming environment for modifying theconfiguration parameter of the real-world data center.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, the memory unit further storing instructions that, whenexecuted by the hardware processor, cause the hardware processor toperform acts comprising: modifying automatically the configurationparameter of the real-world data center based on the output indicatingthe modified configuration of the at least one of the graphical elementsin the multi-player gaming environment.
 3. The system of claim 2,wherein the configuration parameter of the real-world data center ismodified automatically in real-time based on the output indicating themodified configuration of the at least one of the graphical elements inthe multi-player gaming environment.
 4. The system of claim 1, thememory unit further storing instructions that, when executed by thehardware processor, cause the hardware processor to perform actscomprising: monitoring operations of the plurality of users during gameplay in the multi-player gaming environment; and generating a roadmapfor transformation of the real-world data center based on the monitoringof the operations.
 5. The system of claim 2, the memory unit furtherstoring instructions that, when executed by the hardware processor,cause the hardware processor to perform acts comprising: generating aranking of he plurality of users based on the monitoring of theoperations; and calculating a points reward based on the generatedranking.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-player gamingenvironment is provided via an online game.
 7. The system of claim 1,wherein the multi-player gaming environment includes a simulation of thereal-world data center.
 8. A processor-implemented data centertransformation method, comprising: dynamically generating in real-time,via a hardware processor, a multi-player gaming environment including aplurality of graphical elements; wherein at least one constraintapplying to one of the graphical elements in the multi-player gamingenvironment reflects a constraint applying to a real-world data center;wherein a configuration of at least one of the graphical elements in themulti-player gaming environment reflects a configuration parameter ofthe real-world data center; providing, via the hardware processor, thereal-time dynamically-generated gaming environment to a plurality ofusers; modifying, via the hardware processor, the configuration of theat least one of the graphical elements in the multi-player gamingenvironment based on game play of the plurality of users; and providing,via the hardware processor, an output indicating a modifiedconfiguration of the at least one of the graphical elements in themulti-player gaming environment for modifying the configurationparameter of the real-world data center.
 9. The method of claim 8,further comprising: modifying automatically, via the hardware processor,the configuration parameter of the real-world data center based on theoutput indicating the modified configuration of the at least one of thegraphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the configuration parameter of the real-worlddata center is modified automatically in real-time based on the outputindicating the modified configuration of the at least one of thegraphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment.
 11. Themethod of claim 8, further comprising: monitoring, via the hardwareprocessor, operations of the plurality of users during game play in themulti-player gaming environment; and generating, via the hardwareprocessor, a roadmap for transformation of the real-world data centerbased on the monitoring of the operations.
 12. The method of claim 9,further comprising: generating, via the hardware processor, a ranking ofthe plurality of users based on the monitoring of the operations; andcalculating, via the hardware processor, a points reward based on thegenerated ranking.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the multi-playergaming environment is provided via an online game.
 14. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the multi-player gaming environment includes asimulation of the real-world data center.
 15. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing hardware processor-executable datacenter transformation instructions comprising instructions for:dynamically generating in real-time, via a hardware processor, amulti-player gaming environment including a plurality of graphicalelements; wherein at least one constraint applying to one of thegraphical elements in the multi-player gaming environment reflects aconstraint applying to a real-world data center; wherein a configurationof at least one of the graphical elements in the multi-player gamingenvironment reflects a configuration parameter of the real-world datacenter; providing, via the hardware processor, the real-timedynamically-generated gaming environment to a plurality of users;modifying, via the hardware processor, the configuration of the at leastone of the graphical elements in the multi-player gaming environmentbased on game play of the plurality of users; and providing, via thehardware processor, an output indicating a modified configuration of theat least one of the graphical elements in the multi-player gamingenvironment for modifying the configuration parameter of the real-worlddata center.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim15, the instructions further comprising instructions for: modifyingautomatically, via the hardware processor, the configuration parameterof the real-world data center based on the output indicating themodified configuration of the at least one of the graphical elements inthe multi-player gaming environment.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the configurationparameter of the real-world data center is modified automatically inreal-time based on the output indicating the modified configuration ofthe at least one of the graphical elements in the multi-player gamingenvironment.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim15, the instructions further comprising instructions for: monitoring,via the hardware processor, operations of the plurality of users duringgame play in the multi-player gaming environment; and generating aroadmap for transformation of the real-world data center based on themonitoring of the operations.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 16, the instructions further comprising instructionsfor: generating, via the hardware processor, a ranking of the pluralityof users based on the monitoring of the operations; and calculating apoints reward based on the generated ranking.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the multi-player gamingenvironment is provided via an online game.